The Writer Of Darkness
by Ribeiro1986
Summary: When a tragedy strikes the Walton s household, six siblings get together, to try and bring their older brother, a special gift, so he could continue to share his stories to the world.
1. Chapter 1

**As my second story about the Waltons, i decided to write a 'What If' story, related to an episode of season two, called ''A Thanksgiving Story'' I will not give you much information now, as i supposse the tittle and summary already had done that.**

**Still, since i like to write challengers and AU´s, i come up with this story, which the events, could change forever.**

**Hope you like it,**

**Please, enjoy**

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**CHAPTER 1 – AWAKING TO A NIGHTMARE**

The surgery was over and apparently, everything was alright as 19-year old John-Boy Walton lay recovering on his hospital bed. Meanwhile, in the waiting room, Olivia and John, Jason and Mary Ellen, and Jenny and her mother listened intently as the doctor told them what had happened during the complicated head operation that the son, brother, and boyfriend had gone through.

Offering to wake her eldest from his anesthesia, Olivia entered her son's room. John-Boy lay asleep on the bed, his head carefully wrapped in bandages. He was pale and his breathing was labored, but he was alive.

With a smile on her face, the mother approached the bed and caressed his face, whispering soft words to him.

''John-Boy? John-Boy, it's Mama. I want you to wake up,'' she whispered gently. Her son stirred but didn't wake. Olivia spoke again. "Come on, it's almost Thanksgiving; there's a lot of work to be done. It's Mama, John-Boy. I want you to wake up."

Stirring slightly and shifting his head, John-Boy eventually muttered, ''Mama?'' His eyes were still closed.

Smiling slightly, Olivia said gently, "Now you look at me when I talk to you, young man."

With some struggle, John-Boy managed to open his eyes.

''Where are you, Mama?'' he asked. His voice held a note of fear.

''I'm right here, honey. Oh, it's so good to see your eyes open. I'm so relieved,'' she said, but in response, the boy continued to turn his head from side to side, his eyes scanning the room quicker than anything Olivia had seen.

''It's too dark in here, Mama? Where are you?'' he asked, frightened. Olivia's heart filled with dread.

'John-Boy, I'm right here, son! Look at me! I'm right in front of you,'' she said, shaking his shoulder desperately.

''Gah! My head! Mama, where are you? I don't know where I am! It's too dark, Mama! I can't see anything!'' The teenager started to fidget, reaching his arms out and trying to find his mother, mistakenly hitting her in the face.

''John-Boy! JOHN, oh God… HELP! JOHN! DOCTOR!'' Olivia cried out. ''Calm down, baby! Mama's here!'' She tried to calm her son down, but to no avail.

''What happened? Livie?'' John Walton, hearing his wife's cry for help, rushed inside, followed by two of his other children, Jenny, her mother, and the doctor.

''He said he can't see!'' Olivia said, tears threatening to spill. ''He can't see, doctor! What did you do?''

''Calm down, Mrs. Walton. Let's see what's going on,'' the doctor said, trying to calm the occupants of the room. He called a nurse and tried to sedate the desperate boy, who was squeezing Olivia's hand tightly in one hand, and the bed sheets in another. The doctor gently moved Olivia out of the way and attempted to move John-Boy's form onto a stretcher.

''Where are you taking him?'' Jenny asked as John tried to keep Olivia calm.

''We're going to run some tests. Let's hope for the best,'' he said as the nurse wheeled the unconscious boy out of the room.

_/_

At least two agonizing hours passed by as Olivia and John Walton, Jason, Mary Ellen, Jenny, and her mother waited for news about John-Boy. The fact that he had woken up from his surgery completely blind had terrified everyone, and just remembering her son's frightened expression made Olivia want to cry.

''He'll be alright, Liv. I know that,'' John said, not even sure of whether he was saying that to himself or his wife. They waited a little longer before the doctor finally came in.

''Mr. and Mrs. Walton, please, sit down,'' he said.

Olivia paled. ''What happened to my boy? Please, doctor, what happened to my son?''

''Livie, calm down. Let the doctor speak,'' John said. He nodded for the doctor to continue.

''Mrs. Walton, Mr. Walton, for a start, young John Walton is recovering fine, but…'' he took a deep breath, ''unfortunately, as we had suspected earlier, the clot had indeed damaged his optical nerves…'' He paused again. ''Well, let's not lose hope now; medicine is advancing every day ...''

''Just tell us, doctor, what happened to my son?'' John was losing his patience.

''Mr. Walton, I'm afraid your son has gone blind.''

Upon hearing that, the room fell utterly silent. Mary Ellen and Jenny were in shock, and Olivia began to cry on her husband's shoulder.

''You mean, my brother can't see anymore? He won't recover?'' Jason said, breaking the silence.

''Well, as I said, medicine is advancing every day. I will try to find something that can revert the process, but for now, what we have to do is be there for him. He'll need his family more than anything now,'' the doctor said.

''Thank you, doctor'' John said with a forced smile. The doctor left to give the family some privacy.

''What're going to do now, John?'' Olivia sniffed.

''Well, for starters, we need to tell the rest of the family. We need to tell them that their brother is gonna need them now.'' John looked around at the other occupants of the waiting room, struggling to keep his tears at bay.

''No, I can't leave him alone John. Not now.'' The mother seemed desperate.

''I'll stay with you, Mama,'' Mary Ellen said.

''I'll stay with you too, Mrs. Walton,'' Jenny said, not wanting to leave her boyfriend's side.

''Mary Ellen, you stay with your mother and Jenny and take care of John-Boy. Jason and I will head back home and tell the others the news,'' John said and without another word, he left with his second oldest son.

_/_

The trip back home was silent, neither father nor son speaking a word as both were in shock after the news they'd received. Once John and Jason pulled into his driveway, he sat in his truck for a moment, his head on the steering wheel, not sure of what to say to his other children.

''Daddy?'' Jason patted his shoulder. John forced his son a brave smile.

''Let's go inside, son.'' He took a deep breath and jumped out of the truck, Jason following him.

Plucking up the courage, he walked up to his porch. He opened the door and heard his four younger children and his parents coming towards him, asking him multiple questions:

"How'd the operation go?" "Is John-Boy alright?" "When can John-Boy come home?"

"Enough!" John shouted over the voices. He moved and sat down in one of the living room chairs, head in hands.

"What's wrong, son?" Grandpa asked.

John looked up, his eyes watery. ''Your brother is alive,'' he said, trying to sound brave, ''but he will need our help a lot from now on, from all of us.''

''What you mean, Daddy?'' Elizabeth asked.

''Children…'' he began, ''the doctor said... he said there could be a chance, but for now… your brother has lost his sight. He's blind and it's likely that it'll be like this for the rest of his life.''

Grandpa let out a choked sob, Grandma let out a shriek, and the children gasped and cried for their eldest brother.

Unable to stand the sobs from his daughters and the silent tears from his sons, John stood up and went outside, the door slamming behind him.

Once alone, John finally sat down and cried, just wishing that he could go back in time and prevent his children from getting hurt ever again.


	2. Chapter 2

**NinjaDevil200 thanks for the help**

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**CHAPTER 2 - WELCOME HOME!**

Two weeks after his surgery, John-Boy was finally discharged from the hospital, and needless to say, he felt completely dreadful. After an entire day of tests, the doctor returned with the diagnosis and said that the chance of his sight returning was very slim. Never in their lives had Olivia and John had seen their eldest son cry so much, they stayed with him as the doctor told them the truth and hugged him tightly as the poor boy cried himself to sleep that night.

Every now and then over those dreadful two weeks, Jason and Mary-Ellen visited as did Jenny, but the younger children and Grandma and Grandpa remained at home.

Olivia and John could tell how depressed their son was and they attempted to cheer him up in any way possible, but it was hard, considering how depressed they were themselves. When Jason and Mary-Ellen visited, they talked to him about what had happened with the family. Jason had been happy to see a tiny flicker of a smile when he mentioned how the Baldwins had wanted to adopt him, and Mary Ellen had been kind enough to inform Boatwright of her brother's predicament.

But other than that, John-Boy sat in silence, surrounded by a darkness that included his heart as well as his eyes.

_/_

Thinking it might cheer him up, the younger siblings and their grandparents decided to plan a welcome home party for when John-Boy arrived. So, that morning, as soon as John-boy stepped inside the house, his mother and father holding his arms, an avalanche of voices yelled, ''Surprise!'' and the Waltons converged on their big brother.

''It's so nice to have you back, John-Boy!'' Jim-Bob yelled.

''It's really good to be home, right, son?'' Grandpa said cheerfully, patting his grandson's shoulder and making him jump.

''We were so worried about you!'' Erin said.

''Erin and I baked your favorite gingerbread!'' Elizabeth cried.

''And I knitted another sweater for you, son, since that old one of yours was torn,'' Grandma said.

''I have missed you so much!'' Ben hugged him tightly and John-Boy jumped again in fright.

''Children!'' Suddenly, John-Boy heard his father's calming voice. ''Let your brother rest, alright? He just got out of the hospital and he's probably tired from all the tests, okay?'' he said. John-Boy took a calming breath as the family quieted down.

''Honey, do you want a glass of milk or a snack?'' Olivia offered.

''Actually, Mama, I just want to lie down,'' the older son replied quietly, his voice quivering.

''You sure?'' John said.

''Yeah, I'm sure, Daddy.''

''Okay, let's take you upstairs to your room,'' Olivia said.

"C'mon, John-Boy," a voice piped up. John-Boy recognized it as Jason's and calmed down slightly. Feeling stupid, John-Boy reached out a hand to where his brother's voice seemed to be coming from. Jason's hand appeared suddenly on his shoulder. Jason led him upstairs, slowly and gently, being careful to tell John-Boy of where the stairs were or if there was something blocking the path.

As the two eldest boys traversed upstairs, the remaining members of the family stood still, watching the boy who had forever been a leader, being led.

''He ignored us,'' Elizabeth complained, looking downcast.

''He can't see us, you silly,'' Jim-Bob replied.

''Hush you two," Grandma said. "Help me set the table for lunch,'' she added, urging everyone on to their separate duties.

_/_

Over the days that followed, John and Olivia, along with Grandma and Grandpa, tried to make life as normal as possible for everyone. But even with constant care and attention from his family, especially Olivia, John-Boy refused to leave his room and every attempt to bring him out of his depression failed.

A few days after John-Boy's return, Ben and Jason carved him a walking stick so that he would be able to walk around the house without anyone's assistance. And yes, the oldest brother did appreciate the gesture and the effort his brothers put into it, but every time he bumped into a piece of furniture or tripped over something, he seemed to grow more and more depressed. Meanwhile, his sisters spent their free time reading to him. But every time their voices echoed on his ears, John-Boy would begin to cry again, miserably thinking over all the books and places he would never read or see anymore.

''At least you don't make me read verses from the Bible,'' Mary Ellen quipped one time, making him laugh for the first time in weeks.

''I envy you Mary Ellen,'' he had said quietly, his voice soft. His sister had looked up, shocked. ''What?'' she'd exclaimed.

''I envy you,'' he'd repeated. ''In a few years, you'll be up and about, finally going to travel and visit places and see thing that you've long to see.'' When he'd finished, Mary-Ellen stayed quiet, not sure of what to say. She'd just bitten her lip and kissed his forehead before leaving the room.

_/_

Eventually, little by little, the Walton's Mountain community and some of Charlottesville's occupants ended up learning what had happened to young John-Boy Walton.

One day, when Jim-Bob and Elizabeth had gone to the store to pick up a pair of dark glasses for their big brother that their parents had ordered, they told Ike all about it in their own words.

Meanwhile, when Jason told the Baldwin Sisters what had happened to his older brother, they had rushed to the Walton house to give John and Olivia some support, telling them that they were willing to help with whatever the family needed. What spoiled the visit, however, was the fact that they had brought a jar of the Recipe to try and up the blind boy's spirit.

_/_

Times went on and one afternoon, a few weeks after the surgery, John-Boy was inside the house, training with his walking stick when suddenly, a new voice distracted him, causing him to fall on his hands and knees.

''Oh, I'm sorry, darling! I scared you. Are you alright?'' It was Jenny, and it seemed that she had finally decided to visit after two long weeks of radio silence.

''Jenny? So you decided to show up?'' John-Boy said, his voice bitter.

John, who was drinking his coffee in the kitchen, looked up. ''John-Boy, don't be unkind,'' he said in a warning tone. John-Boy could tell that his father had heard the repressed anger in his voice.

''No need to apologize, Mr. Walton…'' Jenny smiled awkwardly. ''I've been helping my mother,'' she explained, ''and I thought it might be good for you to stay here and have some time with just your family.''

''It was a nice thought, Jenny,'' John said with a smile.

''Daddy, do you mind if we stay alone for a bit and talk?'' John-Boy asked.

''By all means, son. Why don't you two go out onto the porch? I'll help you there.'' John stood and took a few steps toward his son, but John-Boy held out a hand.

''It's okay, Daddy. I can do it by myself,'' he said and, with his cane tapping in front of him, he and Jenny wandered out to the porch where they sat down two of the chairs.

For a few moments, the young couple sat in silence. Jenny looked around as the surroudings were cast in the twilight, and John-Boy just sat there, listening to the sounds of birds he could not see and thinking of pages he would never read.

''The doctor said I'll be like this forever,'' he finally spoke. ''No more scholarship, no more writing, all my dreams shattered! I'll just be stuck here forever! Stuck in an unbreakable darkness!''

''Don't lose hope, John-Boy!" Jenny said indignantly. "You still have the whole world in front of you… and you still have your family... and me.''

''I don't want you to stay with me in pity, Jenny,'' John-Boy said without thinking.

''Pity?'' she asked confusedly. ''John-Boy, I would never pity you. I love you! Don't you love me anymore?''

''Of course I do,'' he replied. ''But let's face it, Jenny. I won't provide you with what you want and what you need. I won't even be able to work anymore.''

''John-Boy Walton, you're offending me.'' Jenny stood up in a haste. John-Boy took a deep breath.

''I didn't mean to,'' he said, ''but I suppose this is goodbye.''

''What?''

''Jenny Pendleton,'' he began. ''I love you so very much, and the time we've spent together will be forever part of my memory, but I think it will be better if we say goodbye now. I don't want to be a burden to you.''

''John-Boy, please, you're talking nonsense.'' Jenny started to cry.

''Goodbye, Jenny,'' he said and reaching a hand out, he felt for her and stroked her cheek lightly before turning and walking back inside.

John, who had been observing the entire interaction from inside the house, frowned at his son as he shut the front door behind him.

''What did you tell her, John-Boy?'' John asked, watching as Jenny left the porch, crying into her hands.

''I sent her away, Daddy,'' the boy replied plainly.

''You what?'' John said, shocked and slightly angry at his son's actions.

''Jenny and I broke up, and it's for the best,'' he said and then he turned, slowly traversing his way back upstairs to the seclusion of his bedroom.


	3. Chapter 3

**NinjaDevil200 thanks for the help**

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**CHAPTER 3 - ACCEPTANCE?**

The next morning, when the whole family sat around the table eating breakfast, the argument of the century broke out. The previous night, John had told Olivia about what had happened between their son and Jenny. Both parents were upset, of course, as they loved Jenny and thought very highly of her, but they had decided to respect John-Boy's choice, at least for now. However, when Erin, Elizabeth, and Mary-Ellen learned about the break-up early the next morning, they couldn't help but be angry at their brother's attitude and treatment of the person they had begun to see as another sister.

Now, sitting at the table in a tense silence, Mary Ellen snapped. ''I don't understand why you had to be so selfish.'' The rest of the family looked at her. Grandma had just handed John-Boy his breakfast, telling him in which corner of the plate sat the specific food, while the other members of the family sat in silence, eating their own breakfast.

''Mary Ellen!'' Olivia warned.

''I'm not selfish!'' John-Boy protested, knowing exactly what his sister was talking about.

''Then why did you send Jenny away?'' Elizabeth said loudly.

''Because I'm not selfish,'' John-Boy said. ''She deserves much better than me.''

''What are you talking about, son?'' Grandpa Zeb asked, confused.

''But she was so nice! It will be a pity if she never comes back,'' Erin complained.

''Stop it, you two! Look, I didn't ask her to disappear, okay? I just told her to find someone else, to move on, but she's still welcome in my life.'' John-Boy replied.

''Why did you do it?'' Ben asked curiously, still wanting to know the deeper reason behind the break-up.

''I don't want her to waste her life with a blind man! I already give you all such a burden!'' John-Boy shouted, growing angrier and clutching his fork so hard that he thought his hand might be bleeding.

''Aren't you been a bit ungrateful?'' Ben said, raising an eyebrow that John-Boy couldn't see. ''After all these things that Mama and Daddy are doing for you?''

"Shut up, Ben!" Jason shouted. "It's John-Boy's life, okay? He can make his own decisions!"

''Aren't you exaggerating?'' Mary Ellen looked at her eldest brother. ''Okay, so you can't see anymore, but so what?''

''Exaggerating? EXAGGERATING?'' John-Boy snapped. He jumped to his feet, knocking his glass of milk over in the process. ''You say that like it's easy to be in the dark all time. You want to switch places with me? I'd be glad to!''

''Now, all of you!'' Grandma yelled. ''We're having breakfast and this is a respectable family house, not a circus. Apologize to one another and start acting like family again,'' she snapped at them.

The children fell silent and John-Boy sat back down, stunned at the force behind Grandma's old voice. After a few moments, the sound of clinking cutlery grew again.

''Why don't you all finish up your breakfast and then maybe we can go to the lake and fish for a bit,'' John said, speaking for the first time since the morning grace.

''Daddy, I think I'll…'' John-Boy began.

''I said all of you,'' John interrupted and then he left the table without another word.

_/_

The walk to the lake was silent between father and son, while the other kids ran ahead, laughing and making bets about who was going to catch the most fish. John and John-Boy just walked in silence, the son holding his father's arm for guidance and safety while tapping his stick in front of him, feeling the grass on his feet. Olivia had warned her son about how dangerous it would be for him to go to the woods, but John had assures her that he would be okay. Now, he led his son toward the lake and the patch of grass where they would sit.

''You stay here,'' John said, helping his son sit down on a fallen branch. ''I'll help your brothers and sisters and then be back."

''Yes, sir,'' John-Boy replied and, knowing his father's voice so well, he knew that the man was not in a cheerful mood.

For what seemed an eternity, John-Boy sat there, listening to the sound of the water and his siblings' laughter as they tried to catch the perfect fish for dinner. After an hour had passed, Erin and Mary Ellen had decided to go back home, disappointed by the fact that they hadn't caught any fish. John-Boy heard them tread past him, laughing about something he didn't know. A moment later, he realized that someone had moved and was sitting beside him.

''Can you hear your brothers and sisters?'' It was John, but it sounded dreadfully different from how it had sounded just a moment ago. Now, his voice seemed tired and serious.

''Yes, I can,'' John-Boy replied.

''Can you hear how happy they are? Can you hear how happy they are for you to be here?'' John asked, his voice directed to the lake where his younger children played and splashed. It may have been January, but the sun heated the water and blankets and coats lay piled on the bank.

''I don't know –" John-Boy swallowed. "I don't know if I'll ever find happiness again, Daddy,'' he said.

''John-Boy, I don't cherish Mary Ellen's behavior at the table this morning, but I can't help but agree with her on something,'' he said. ''You're being selfish… selfish with us and selfish with Jenny. She really loved you and never showed any sign of pity about what happened to you.''

''Yes, sir,'' John-Boy mumbled, lowering his head in shame.

''We love you, son, and you aren't a burden to us at all.'' John put a hand on his son's shoulder. ''Do you know how happy your mother and I were to learn that you were blind, not dead? We almost lost you, John-Boy. We've all been trying to help you; you just need to accept it. I know it's hard, but please let us help. We have to assure, not just you, but ourselves, that you're being treated normally, or as normaly as possible. Please, this isn't just about your eyes anymore, John-Boy. It's about your heart as well," John finished.

''Daddy, why did this have to happen to me?'' John-Boy asked finally. The father looked away for a second before placing an arm around his son's shoulder.

''I don't know, son,'' he replied. ''I can only say that everything must happen for a reason, and we just have to discover that reason for ourselves.''

The rest of the morning, John-Boy remained quiet, biting his lip to keep himself from crying.

_/_

Sightless for almost three months now, John-Boy noticed that his other senses had somehow improved. Sounds and smells he had never noticed before now seemed to be stronger than ever. He could now recognize each of his brothers and sisters by the sound of their voices, the way they walked, and the weight of their footfalls. One day, when he had joined his brother and grandfather to help the Baldwins with something, he realized it must've been something to do with the Recipe, for when he entered the home, the smell seemed different from when he was usually there. Indeed, for by the time the sisters had tasted it, they found out they forgot to add sugar to the mixture.

Another day, Elizabeth and Jim-Bob had brought a stray cat home, as they thought their big brother could use the company of the little animal. Though it was a nice sentiment, the cat ran away the first chance it got.

When a distraught Elizabeth came running to him, crying that the cat had gone away, he easily replied, "He's in the tree outside the window. I can hear him howling out there."

Later that night as he lay in bed, John-Boy heard two sets of footsteps approaching his door and a second later Elizabeth and Jim-Bob appeared in the doorway.

''What do you two munchkins want?'' he asked before they even had a chance to speak.

''How did you know it was us? Can you see us again?'' Jim-Bob said excitedly, jumping on his brother's bed and putting a hand a few inches away from his brother's eyes.

''Sorry, kiddo, I can't see you. I could tell it was you two by the sounds of your footsteps,'' the older brother said.

''Oh…'' Jim-Bob said disappointedly, lowering his head as Elizabeth approached and sat on the bed next to her brothers. ''We – we just wanted to say that we found the cat. You were right, John-Boy. It was in the tree and Ben was able to get him down for us.''

''That's good,'' the older boy agreed, and he couldn't help but smile slightly at the joy in his baby sister's voice.

''John-Boy, you really can't see anything?'' Elizabeth asked and for a second, her older brother was shocked.

''N-No, honey, I can't,'' he said, his voice slightly thick. He knew Elizabeth wasn't trying to remind him of his blindness, but that's what she did.

''Not even a little bit?'' asked Jim-Bob.

''No, guys. It's just dark, dark as a starless night or worse.''

''Is it scary?'' Elizabeth whimpered.

''Well, it was at first but it's not as bad anymore. Not since I know that I have all of you to protect me,'' he lied. It was indeed scary, but there was no need for them to know how scary. ''Now, you need to sleep, so you can go to school tomorrow. Good night, you two.''

''Good night, John-Boy,'' they said together. They both slid off the bed and left, Elizabeth giving him a light kiss on the cheek before she left.

_/_

Two nights later, John was heading to bed, having just spent a few thoughtful minutes on the porch when, passing by John-Boy's room, he noticed that the lights were on. Confused, he stepped inside, where he found his son sleeping and his wife sitting next to him, holding his hand tightly.

''Olivia?'' John said quietly. The woman turned to her husband and wiped away a few tears.

''He asked me to stay with him until he fell asleep,'' she whispered.

''I suppose he already did,'' John said. ''C'mon, let's get to bed.'' And with that, John left the room without another word.

Surprised by her husband's behavior, Olivia gently laid her son's hand down, left her son's room, and followed her husband to the master bedroom, closing the door behind her.

''Are you alright, John?'' she asked as soon as they were alone in their room.

John nodded simply before speaking. ''I'm just tired of watching my son waste his life,'' he said.

''John!'' Olivia gasped and she placed a hand on her mouth. ''You know that this isn't his fault,'' she said.

''I know, Livie,'' John agreed. ''I know.'' He nodded again without looking at her.

For a few minutes, the Walton parents sat in silence, changing and readying for sleep. For the first time in years, they seemed to have nothing to talk about. What with seven children, the topics of conversation seemed endless, but not right now.

''John, I've been praying,'' Olivia said eventually. John looked at her. ''But somehow, part of me believes that – that we may be being punished for something!'' she cried. She fell onto the bed, her face in her hands. John moved and sat next to her, engulfing her in a hug.

''Livie,'' he began, ''you know that I'm not really a religious man, but I don't think that God would be that cruel… I mean, he's given us mountains to climb and we've climbed them. We've survived! I suppose this is just another mountain. A bigger mountain than the others, maybe, but still one we can climb. Besides, I told John-Boy that everything happens for a reason and if he can find this reason, we can do the same thing like family always does,'' he finished. Olivia remained silent, removing herself from her husband's arm and laid down. And for the first time in their entire marriage, Olivia did not even say goodnight.


	4. Chapter 4

**NinjaDevil2000, ChibiDawn, DSCWin, and Lovepatientkind, thanks very Much for the help and support**

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**CHAPTER 4 - THE METHOD**

As time went by upon Walton's mountain, the children returned to school and life went on. One day, two letters came for the Waltons and picking them up from Ike's, Olivia tore them open and read them. One was from Jenny, explaining that she was moving to Oklahoma to try out another life and way of living. The other letter was for John-Boy from Boatwright, expressing their regrets that he hadn't been able to attend the school.

Olivia had barely had the heart to bring it up that night at dinner and regretted it as soon as she did, for John-Boy instantly withdrew into himself, poking at his remaining dinner. The rest of the family was kind enough not to point out the few tears that fell from his unseeing eyes.

Meanwhile, the Baldwin sisters had decided to give up the idea of adopting Jason, saying that, as much as they loved him, he was needed more in his home now with his family.

_/_

One day at school as Ms. Hunter dismissed her class, she pulled Ben aside and asked him how things were at his home.

''Well, everything's good, I think,'' Ben replied.

''And John-Boy. How's he doing?'' she asked.

Ben sighed. ''Not well. Mama and Daddy took him to the doctor again a couple days ago and they said that there's nothing to be done about his eyes.''

''Oh no, the dear boy!'' Ms. Hunter shook her head sadly. ''And the scholarship?''

''Not a chance, he lost it… not that he can read and write anymore, though, but still… it makes him real sad,'' Ben said.

''Yes, I'm sure,'' the teacher agreed. She looked thoughtful for a moment. ''Ben, I think I know how to help. Can you tell your parents that I'm going to drop by your house and talk to them tomorrow evening?''

''Sure thing,'' the boy said and with a nod, he walked away after his siblings.

Once arriving at home, Ben told his parents about Ms. Hunter's visit the following night.

"Are you behaving in school, Ben?" asked his mother before Ben could continue.

"Yes, Mama," he said. "She said she's not coming here to talk about me, though. She's coming to talk about John-Boy, I think," he said.

John nodded and smiled slightly. "Well, let's hope it's something we want to hear," he said wryly, anxious to hear about something that could hopefully help his oldest boy.

_/_

The next evening, as promised, Ms. Hunter came by the Waltons household.

The whole family was gathered around the radio when she knocked on the door and John stood and opened it, letting the kind teacher in. Olivia started to shoo the younger children to bed, but Ms. Hunter asked if they could stay, for what she had to say would be something the whole family should hear.

She sat down on the sofa, next to John-Boy. "How're you doing, John-Boy?" she asked kindly.

"Living," he replied dully. And, even knowing that his son couldn't see him, John sent him an irritated glare.

He opened his mouth to reprimand his son, but Ms. Hunter spoke up before he could. "No, it's okay. It was a stupid question to ask." She turned back to John-Boy. "The reason I came tonight, John-Boy, was because I thought of something that could help you. It –" she hesitated. "It could help you write again."

Instantly, John-Boy perked up. He straightened, no longer slouching on the sofa. His eyes, though grayed slightly, almost seemed brighter and his voice shook as he spoke. "Write again?" he whispered, desperately hoping those were the words his former teacher had uttered.

"Yes," Ms. Hunter said, smiling at the young man's reaction. "There's a technique of reading and writing called Braille. It's almost a language but it's where you replace letters with patterns of dots."

"Like Morse code?" Jim-Bob piped up.

"Not really," Ms. Hunter said with a smile. She turned back to the eldest Walton boy. "Take for instance, the letter 'a'. There's a pattern of about dots that represent that letter. Each is different depending on what you're writing, but it's very useful for people," she paused, wanting to speak the following words delicately. "For people in situations like yours."

"What can I do?" John-Boy said. "How do I learn?"

The teacher smiled lightly at the boy's enthusiasm. ''Well, from what I know about the Braille method, it will allow you to read with your hands,'' she said. ''There're special schools actually that can teach you how to do it properly.''

''So – so it's not a lost cause!'' the boy exclaimed, his heart full of hope. ''I can write Boatwright and ask them to put my name on the list again, everything will be fine!''

''It's not that simple, John-Boy, you will need time and concentration and…'' she stopped for a moment, not wanting to destroy the young man's dreams. She looked down quickly, trying to find the right words. ''John-Boy, it would take you more than a few weeks to learn such methods. I don't suppose it's as easy as it seems and not many places have the proper knowledge necessary to treat people with your condition, much less the methods they use to read,'' she said and in response, John-Boy leaned back on the couch, angry and withdrawn once again.

''So it isn't useful,'' he complained.

''Reading with hands? Sounds magical, doesn't it?'' Erin said with a smile.

John-Boy started and shot a glare at his sister. ''Magical?'' he growled ''How you can say that? It isn't magical and it doesn't seem like it'll be helpful at all!'' he whined.

''John Walton Jr!'' John Walton barked furiously, making his son go silent. ''Could you stop it with the disrespect?'' he asked.

John-Boy kept quiet, his face pointing at his lap.

Ms. Hunter, trying to avoid the awkward situation as much as possible, cleared her throat lightly and proceeded to tell them about a few institutions that she had researched that morning. Then, after giving them the proper addresses in case they wanted to correspond, she left.

After showing her to the door, John turned back to his family, a serious look on his face, and took a deep breath. ''There are a few things I would like to discuss with all of you,'' he said.

''What's wrong, Daddy?'' Mary-Ellen asked, sensing the change in her father's demeanor.

''John-Boy, I think it's high time now that you start learning how to work this farm again. There are many chores that I'm entirely sure you are capable of doing with just a bit of teaching,'' he said.

''John, what you talking about?'' Olivia asked, puzzled.

''I'm tired of seeing my son waste away his life, sitting inside, doing nothing but reminiscing about something he will doubtfully ever have again. I think it's time for him to do something useful,'' the father replied.

''John!'' Olivia scolded her husband. John sent his wife a hard look.

''So, tomorrow, you're going to tidy your room up. Then, Jason, I want you to take your brother to the corral with you and help him milk the cow. After that, we'll see what else you can do more, one step at time.''

John-Boy hesitated, anger fading away as he realized that everything his father was saying was true and made perfect sense. One thing bothered him, though. ''Daddy, please, I don't want to spoil anything,'' he protested.

John smiled. ''You won't, son, I know it,'' he said. ''Meanwhile, since I want all my children to have a proper education, tomorrow, I will write these schools and you will start learning these methods that Ms. Hunter was kind enough to tell us about.''

''I agree with you, son,'' Grandpa Zeb smiled. ''It's about time this family gets back to normal. John-Boy, you can count on me to help teach you everything you need to know about the lands and how to take care of it again.''

''Thank you, Pa,'' John said with a nod. ''Now, we better say goodnight. The new Spring is here and it's time to us get back to work,'' he said and left the room, before anyone could say anything else.

_/_

Over the following week, John barely shared a word with his oldest son, except for the occasional request or the orders to help him learn how to do something again. Meanwhile, as promised, he wrote to the some of the schools Ms. Hunter had told him about and asked about his son.

Two weeks later, someone from the Virginia's Institute For the Blind and Deaf answered back, asking the Waltons if they could visit. The only problem was that the school was extremely far away from Walton's Mountain, meaning that John-Boy would probably need to stay there the entire school year, something his mother disliked.

On the other hand, as his father had suspected, John-Boy had been able to successfully care for the family cow that one morning, so from that day forward, the animal became his sole responsibility. As Grandpa had said, he needed something to distract himself, especially now as the day he would start school drew closer.

_/_

One day, as Mary Ellen was helping her mother in the garden, she asked something that had been bothering her. ''Mama? Don't you think Daddy is being a bit hard on everyone lately? I mean, yesterday, he scolded Elizabeth for helping John-Boy with his shoes, and he's practically giving John-Boy the silent treatment,'' she said.

Olivia sighed. ''He said that he's doing this for your brother's own good and that your brother is going to thank him for it, but I will talk to him. Truth is, I've never seen your father this angry and irritated,'' Olivia said, exhausted.

''The thing is, child…'' Grandma began, having heard everything they said from her seat on the front porch, "your father just wants the best for all you children and it's painful for him to see your brother suffering like that. He just wants to see him happy again,'' she finished.

Mary Ellen stayed silent, thinking, hoping, that her father wouldn't scold her like he had Elizabeth if she ever tried to help her brother.

That weekend, Mary Ellen's hopes had been heard as John woke up in a very good mood, and at breakfast, he announced that the whole family was going to go to town and visit the school John-Boy would study at.

''All of us, Daddy?'' Ben asked excitedly.

''Yes, all of us. We'll spend the whole of next weekend in town. We're going to visit the Virginia Institute for John-Boy, and then we can walk around and visit the town,'' John said.

''Can we buy a dress when we get there? I want a new dress,'' Elizabeth asked.

''Well…'' John began. ''We'll see, sweetie. We need to save money, but we'll think about it,'' he said and the little girl squeaked in excitement. A few minutes later, as the children left the table to do chores or whatever else they had planned for the day, John stood and approached his eldest son. To John-Boy's immense surprise, he felt his father's arms wrap around him, drawing him into a tight hug.

''Daddy?'' John-Boy was confused, for after one week of silent treatment, he hadn't expected his father to hug him that tightly.

''Everything is going to be fine, son, I promise you,'' John said, then left to get ready for the day.

_/_

That next month had gone by in the blink of an eye and soon enough, it was time for John-Boy to pack his bags to go to his new school. The nice part was that the people at the institute had welcomed him with open arms that one weekend and John-Boy had decided that it would be a good idea to go to the school and help his family by helping himself deal with his current condition.

The night before his leaving, John-Boy was packing his bags when suddenly, he heard someone knocking on his door. It was Jason.

"Can I come in?" he asked.

"Jason? Sure, come in... just be careful. If Daddy sees you helping me, he'll make you sleep with the chickens," John-Boy laughed while walking around, feeling for his clothes.

"Ah, don't worry, I won't help you." Jason laughed as well. "So, are you excited to leave?"

"As much as you're excited to be the big brother," the older brother replied. "You know you'll need to assume all my responsibilities, including reading a bedtime story to Jim-Bob and Elizabeth."

"Yeah and I'll do it better than you," Jason teased him. His smile faded though and a look of seriousness replaced it. He really missed read to his younger siblings at night."John-Boy, the truth is, I'm really proud to be your brother and I know you'll do great at school," the younger brother said. There was a moment's silence as Jason's kind words hung in the air before more footsteps neared. Within seconds, the other five Walton siblings were in their eldest brother's room as well.

''Guys, what's going on here?'' the blind brother asked.

''We wanted to spend a bit of time with you, John-Boy,'' Ben said. "Before you left and all."

''And I want to apologize to Elizabeth, but I wanted you to hear it,'' Erin said.

All her siblings turned to her in confusion. ''What do you mean, honey?'' John-Boy asked.

''Elizabeth, it was my fault Daddy scolded you that day,'' the middle sister said, looking abashedly at her little sister. ''I told him that you were helping John-Boy with his shoes. I thought it was wrong because he told all of us that we couldn't help.''

''Oh, Erin, honey, why did you do that?'' Mary Ellen asked.

''Because I was scared to see john-Boy differently,'' Erin cried. ''I thought John-Boy didn't love us anymore and that he would send us away like he did with Jenny,'' she said.

John-Boy stared, his heart broken by his sister's words. He had been selfish and was ashamed that he hadn't realized it sooner.

''I'm sorry, honey," John-Boy said, reaching an arm out to Erin. "I'm sorry I made you all feel that way…'' John-Boy wrapped her in a tight embrace, reaching his arms out again a moment later for the rest of his brothers and sisters in a group hug. ''I couldn't have made it without all of you. You're the best siblings I could ask for,'' he said.

_/_

The next morning, the entire Walton family gathered in the living room to say goodbye and good luck to John-Boy. Elizabeth gave him her teddy bear in case he needed company at school, and Jason and Mary Ellen promised to visit the next weekend. Then, after another group hug and a recommendation from Grandma and Grandpa, he left the house with his parents, heading to this new school, promising to find a way to write as soon as possible, telling everyone what he learned.


	5. Chapter 5

**NinjaDevil2000, ChibiDawn, DSCWin, and Lovepatientkind, thanks very Much for the help and support**

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** CHAPTER 5 - THE TYPEWRITER**

Two days after John-Boy left for school, the institute sent a consultant to the Waltons household as they had promised, in order to teach them in the proper ways to live around and help someone with visual impairment. So that Friday afternoon, Mr. Dublin arrived for the consultation.

The entire family was present and Olivia and John, Grandma and Grandpa, Mary Ellen, Jason, Ben and Erin all took every piece of the instructions very seriously. To Jim-Bob and Elizabeth, however, everything seemed quite fun, especially when Mr. Dublin said that every direction on John-Boy's plate should reflect the hands of a clock.

''But I haven't learned the hours at school yet," Elizabeth complained. "How I will help my brother like that?''

''Don't worry, little one,'' Mr. Dublin said with a laugh. ''When you learn how to mark the hours at school, you'll be able to help your brother as well, I'm sure.''

''Oh my…'' Grandma Esther muttered under her breath. ''It took their brother losing his sight for them to be eager to learn something at school,'' she said and Grandpa Zeb laughed.

''Oh, Esther, don't worry. I'm sure John-Boy will find it real fun when he comes back,'' he said and his wife gave him a hard look in return.

"Now," Mr. Dublin continued. "I suggest that you keep the furniture and accessories in place at all times and –"

Olivia interrupted him. Such a comment had annoyed her. "I suggest you keep your comments about my house and cleanliness to yourself, Mr. Dublin."

''Oh, I didn't mean in like that, Mrs. Walton,'' the man said quickly and apologetically. ''I was just saying that you shouldn't move furniture or objects without telling your son, otherwise he could trip or run into something,'' he said.

''Makes perfect sense,'' John said, trying to smooth the situation over. The older children nodded their understanding as well.

''Ah, well. Let this serve as a good excuse for the children to start learning to keep their rooms tidy. I don't want them thinking that they should keep things out of the way just because of their brother,'' she said and strode away.

_/_

All in all, it seemed to Jim-Bob and Elizabeth that this was the funnest weekend they'd had in a long time. Apparently, learning what they could and couldn't do around their big brother was very interesting to the younger Walton siblings. Sure, they had already gotten used to describing things with details, and John-Boy himself had told them that there was no reason to speak louder than usual near him, but still much of the techniques Mr. Dublin taught them were proving fun to Jim-Bob and his sister.

''So…'' Mary Ellen began, ''our big brother is now our younger brother? Cool, now we'll have power over him.''

''Not a chance, young lady,'' John said quickly. ''Your brother can't see, but he still has a mind of his own and he's still second-in-command after your mother and I.''

''And us," Grandpa protested. "We may be old, but we're not useless.''

''We never said you were useless, Grandpa,'' Jason said, smiling at his grandfather.

''And Miss Mary Ellen," Mr. Dublin began. "I do believe your brother will have learnt all of these things I've mentioned already at the institute. And he will have had etiquette lessons too.''

''Like a lady?'' Elizabeth asked, and they all laughed.

''No, you silly.'' Erin smiled. ''I think Mr. Dublin means that he will have already learnt how to prepare his own dish or something similar,'' she explained. Over the rest of the afternoon, the family and their guest, who had been invited to stay the night, talked about the etiquette lessons and other lessons the eldest Walton sibling should be learning now.

_/_

When Monday arrived, it was time for Mr. Dublin to go back to the institute as only a weekend was needed to teach the family everything they needed to know. While they were having breakfast, the man mentioned something that inspired a great idea for for the Waltons siblings.

"Mrs. Walton, I took the liberty of reading one of your son's poems that was on the tablet in his room. I hope it's alright, for it was very nicely written indeed," he said.

"It's quite alright, Mr. Dublin," Olivia said kindly. "My son has dreamt of being a writer for years. He would spend hours in his room, writing about so many different things," she continued, smiling with pride but also sadness.

"We were hoping that this new school would bring a bit of his writing spirit back to him," John pointed out.

"Well, the world is full of new technologies that can help young writers like your son fulfill his dream," Mr. Dublin said. "You know that there are even typewriters using the Braille method that can allow people like your son to write books and books. An author by the name of Helen Keller had one of these typewriters. They're called Braille machines at the institute."

"Sounds intersting." John smiled.

"How much would a machine like that cost, Mr. Dublin?" Mary Ellen asked curiously.

"Mary Ellen, what kind of question is that?" Olivia scolded.

"It's alright, Mrs. Walton," the man said. "It would depend of what kind of machine we are talking about. The cheaper, second-hand ones are usually priced around eighty dollars, but a modern, expensive one... well, that's around four hundred dollars." Hearing that comment, the family decided to change the subject and the typewriter wasn't mentioned anymore.

When the consultant was about to leave that afternoon, however, Mary Ellen approached him again with a piece of paper with an addressn written upon it.

"Mr. Dublin, I wanted to ask you something. If you were to find a second-hand machine like the ones you were talking about this morning, and we sent you the money, could you send us one?"

"A Braille machine?" Mr. Dublin clarified.

"Yes, I'd like to buy one for my brother, but I'll have to talk to my parents and siblings first."

"Sure thing, Mary Ellen," Mr. Dublin replied with a nod. "It's a good thing you're doing for your brother, and I'll see what I can do," Mr. Dublin smiled, and taking the paper, he waved goodbye before climbing into his car and driving away. Meanwhile, an idea was forming in Mary Ellen's mind. She just needed to find a way to say it to everyone.

_/_

Later that night after dinner, Jason was in his room reading when someone knocked on his door and, before he could answer, Mary Ellen came in and sat on his bed without invitation.

''Mary Ellen, what do you want?'' asked the older brother.

''I want your help… you and the rest of the children's help,'' she said.

''Let's buy John-Boy a Braille machine like one Mr. Dublin told us about.''

''How? Will you pretend to buy one?'' Ben asked.

''Besides, we don't even know if he will learn to use it," Jim-Bob said.

''We can write him and ask and I'll ask Mama and Daddy and the girls as well if they agree. I just don't know how we'll afford it," she said.

''Anyways… we know John-Boy is annoying and bossy sometimes…''

''Mary-Ellen!'' Jason rebuked her.

''He is,'' she insisted, ''but he's our brother, and if this machine will help him do what he likes, I can't see why we shouldn't buy him one," she said before rushing back to her room, in order to tell Erin and Elizabeth her idea.

_/_

Meanwhile, very far away from Walton's Mountain, a young blind man sat in a classroom together with a few people with the same condition as him, but contrary to those few, John-Boy was eager to start learning to read again.

It had been a week since he had come to the school and today was his third Braille class; as soon he placed a hand on the blank sheet and the shadow of a letter started to show up beneath his fingers, even if it was different from the letters he was used to, he couldn't help but smile. His sister was right, reading with hands really was magical.


	6. Chapter 6

**NinjaDevil2000, ChibiDawn, DSCWin, and Lovepatientkind, thanks very Much for the help and support**

* * *

**CHAPTER 6 – WALTONS UNITED**

The following morning, all the Walton children were awfully quietly at breakfast. The night before, Mary Ellen had told all her brothers and sisters about her plan of how to make money. They agreed to help as long as their parents agreed as well. The problem was, though, no one had courage to be the one to spill the beans that morning.

''Why are you all so gloomy?'' asked Grandpa finally.

''None of you have spoken a word all morning,'' Grandma pointed out.

''It's nothing, Grandma,'' Ben replied.

''Well, I think I have something to cheer you all up,'' John said happily, taking something out from his pocket.

''What is it, John?'' Olivia asked curiously.

''A letter from the Virginia's Institute,'' he said, opening the letter. ''Mrs. Jansen, the principal, would like to say that your brother is doing just fine, he's one of the best student there,'' he read. ''And as a gift, John-Boy sent us something'' He looked inside the envelope again and pulled out another piece of paper, one which seemed to be blank.

''What is it, Daddy?'' asked Jim-Bob as John ran his hand over the paper.

''I have no idea, son, but I'll take it to Mr. Holly later and ask him to read for me,'' John replied.

''About that, Daddy," Mary Ellen began, taking a deep breath. "We all have something to ask you and Mama.''

"What's on your mind, sweetheart?" Olivia asked, looking at her eldest daughter.

Mary Ellen glanced around at her siblings who nodded encouragingly. "We want to sell some of our stuff to make money," she said after a few seconds of hesitation.

"I think that's a wonderful idea!" Mr Walton said. "It would be nice to declutter the house a bit."

''Why do you children want to make money?'' Olivia said, raising an eyebrow slightly and looking to her husband.

''Well…'' Jason began, but Mary Ellen stopped him.

''It's about the Braille machine that Mr. Dublin told us about. I talked to him before he left and I asked him that we were going to send him money, so he could send us the cheaper one,'' the older sister explained.

Olivia frowned. ''Mary Ellen Walton, I would really like it if you would keep your thoughts to yourself. I do not wish to have any obligations to strangers.''

''Liv,'' John said calmingly. He was quite astonished as well in his daughter's actions, but somewhat interested in the idea. ''Let's hear what they have to say.''

''We all talked together,'' Jason spoke up. ''And we decided that we could sell some of our things, I mean, things we don't need anymore, and get the money… we would need at least eighty dollars to buy the second hand machine.''

''I can sell my oldest teddy bear,'' said Jim-Bob.

''And I can sell my old boots; they don't fit me anymore,'' Mary Ellen said. ''And there are some old tools in the garage that we can sell too.''

''Now listen, children…'' Olivia began, but Grandpa interrupted her.

''Livie, I think they're right. Don't look at this as charity. I think John-Boy would be offended if we did that,'' he said. ''Let's see it as a welcome home gift for when he comes back from school. Then he'll be ableto continue to share his thoughts." Grandpa paused for a moment before pulling something out of his pocket. "Here, you children, here's a bit of my contribution,'' he said, placing a dollar bill on the table.

''Well, if you kids insist, then okay," John said, smiling to his children. "Keep your economy and let's see if we can buy a typewriter for your brother.''

''But first, you all have school, so let's get you ready and we'll talk later about your plans,'' Olivia said, hiding a smile of her own. She was indeed proud of her children but had no idea how their plans would work.

_/_

The ''search to sell'' movement started that same day once school was over. Once the children ran upstairs back to their rooms, they began looking for things that they could sell. In their room, the three sisters went through the closet and dresser. Mary Ellen and Erin searched through old dresses and toys that they didn't wear or play with anymore, letting things go fairly easily. Elizabeth, however, was having a hard time letting go of her old things, and almost regretted agreeing to this idea with her big sisters.

''Elizabeth, what is it, sweetie?'' Mary Ellen asked eventually, sensing Elizabeth's reluctance. She looked over a dress that didn't fit her anymore, then threw it into the pile of things to sell.

''I don't want to sell my dolls. Can't we find another way to buy John-Boy his gift?'' she asked and her older sisters laughed.

''Honey, you don't even play with these dolls anymore,'' Mary Ellen said. ''And we're not asking you to sell all of them, just one or two.''

''How about this?'' Erin began, ''Let's sell these two dolls, okay? They're old and a bit ragged, and then next time we go to town, we can buy you a new one, okay?''

''But you'll have to wait till we've bought the typewriter first, okay?'' Mary Ellen suggested.

Elizabeth just sighed, before muttering, "Okay.'' And with a pout, she continued to help her sisters.

Meanwhile, the boys, after searching their room for everything they could sell, decided to break into John-Boy's room, in order to find sellable items in there as well. As they opened the door, the three boys found the room to be perfectly tidy, exactly the same as when their brother had left. Sure, Mr. Dublin had used John-Boy's room that weekend, but once he'd left, Olivia had arranged everything the same way it had been, the way she always knew her son liked, even with his reading glasses sitting on his work desk.

''We could sell his glasses,'' Jim-Bob said.

''And if he wants them?'' Jason asked. ''We'd better ask him first before we sell them. We can do it next time we visit him.''

''Question, if John-Boy can't see anymore, how come he would want these glasses anyways?'' Ben asked, but before Jason or Jim-Bob could answer, Olivia showed up in the doorway, a frown gracing her face.

''What are you three doing in here?'' she asked.

''Just searching for stuff to sell,'' Jim-Bob explained, spilling the beans.

''Tattletale,'' the two other boys spat, glaring at him.

''And do you think it's fair to sell something of your brother's without asking him?'' Olivia snapped. ''What would you three do if you came back home and found out that we had sold your stuff?''

''But Mama, he won't be using his glasses anymore, his tablets neither,'' Jim-Bob protested.

''That isn't an excuse," Olivia said. "Now go help your father or find something else to do,'' she finished, urging the boys out of the room and slamming the door behind them.

_/_

The days were coming and going and, to their parents surprise, the kids had already earned a fairly large sum of money, not only by selling things they didn't want anymore, but also by finding little things to do around town, helping neighbors with their plantations or animals and cleaning houses for instance, earning a dollar here and a dollar there.

''Jason, where are you going?'' Olivia asked one day after breakfast as her second oldest son swallowed his food hurriedy.

''Sorry, Mama. I promised Mr. Spencer that I'd trim his lawn before heading off to school,'' he said. ''See you all later.'' After running his plate to the sink, he grabbed his lunch and headed out the door. In the next ten minutes, all the children had left as well for small jobs, except for Elizabeth, who was too small to help any farmer or neighbor around. Still, she had asked Mr. Holly to teach her to read the clock, so she went over there every now and then after school. As she sat at the table, she finished her breakfast, took her plate to the sink as well, then grabbed her lunch.

After calling bye to her parents and grandparents, she skipped out the front door, muttering about taking a trip to Druscilla's pond.

''Now this is what I call commitment,'' said an astonished grandmother, standing up and starting to clear the table and clean the dished.

''They're doing all of this just for their brother's welfare,'' John said with pride in his voice.

''I suppose John-Boy will be very happy about this,'' Olivia said as they went on to their individual duties.

Meanwhile, without his wife's knowledge, Grandpa Zeb had tried to gain a bit of money himself to help his grandchildren in their endeavor, so every afternoon after lunch, while Grandma Ester was taking a nap or busy with something, he escaped to the Baldwin ladies' home, usually to fix something for them in exchange of a few cents or a dollar.

One afternoon, the ladies decided to ask him what he was planning to do with the money and he told her of the children's plan, never expecting the words he would hear next.

''Oh, Mr. Walton, why didn't you say so early?'' Miss Mamie exclaimed.

''Well, I – I don't know, ladies,'' Grandpa said, realizing that he had never spoken of his intentions.

''Oh, nonsense, Mr. Walton!'' Miss Emily replied. ''John-Boy is such a dear to us. We would be delighted in helping, wouldn't we, sister?''

''Of course,'' Miss Mamie agreed. ''We were so shocked when Jason told us about what happened and we really want to help that dear boy. Here, Mr. Walton,'' Miss Mamie continued and, reaching for her purse, she pulled out a crisp ten dollar bill.

''Ladies!'' the old man exclaimed. ''I – I can't accept this!''

''Of course you can, Mr. Walton!'' Miss Emily said.

''It's our contribution for your grandchildren to buy the special typewriter,'' Miss Mamie insisted.

''Well, thank you ladies. I – I promise I will pay you back soon enough.''

''You can pay us back by telling your grandson to write part of Virginia's history with his new typewriter when he comes back,'' Miss Mamie replied. Grandpa Zeb smiled at the dear ladies.

Not very far away from there at the Walton home, Grandma Esther, thinking that her husband was busy helping their son in the mill, decided to pick up all of his old and torn sweaters, taking them into town to sell. She was happy to see that she gained five dollars in the process.

_/_

Five months had passed since the family had started up that 'search for gold' commotion, so one evening, every Walton, pardon John-Boy of course, sat around the kitchen table, a large jar in front of them which was filled with a pile of bills and coins.

''So…'' John began. ''Mary Ellen, is this enough?'' he asked.

''I'm not sure, Daddy,'' she replied thoughtfully.

''How much is in the jar?'' Ben asked curiously.

''Seventy-five dollars and eighty cents, counted up,'' he replied, and the six children lowered their heads, defeated.

''Well, I have another dollar here for ironing for poor Widow Ackles yesterday,'' Olivia said, sliding the money into the jar.

''Here's ten dollars, a contribution from the Baldwin ladies,'' Grandpa said, handing over the bill.

''And other ten dollars for selling all those old sweaters,'' Grandma said, handing over that bill as well.

''Well then…'' the father said with a smile. ''I think now we have much more than we even needed!'' he exclaimed.

''YAY!'' the children exclaimed in excitement. ''We did it!''

''Now, now, settle down,'' he said. ''Tomorrow, I'll write the institute, send them the money, and ask them to send us the cheapest typewriter they have and, of course, ask your brother whether or not he's learned how to type,'' John said, and so, over the rest of the afternoon, the siblings made another plan, one of how to surprise their brother with his gift.

Later the same night, once in bed, Olivia couldn't stop thinking. Not even a year ago, they thought she would never walk again, and she'd remembered how frustrated she had been and how it had disturbed all her children, especially Erin and John-Boy; she thought of how she'd seen her son suffering with the lack of sight, making him feel the same way she had once. Incapable. She hated that, not for her, but for her son.

''Liv?'' John's voice pulled her from her thoughts. ''Are you alright?''

''Yes, I was just thinking. It's a silly thing,'' she lied. ''Remember when John-Boy first came back from school, just starting to learn the alphabet?'' she said.

John nodded. To him, that image seemed like it was from another life. ''Remember that day he came home with a paper, he'd written down all of our names. Yours and mine, your parents, and Jason's,'' she said dreamily.

''Well…'' John smiled, laying down next to his wife. ''It was exactly the same as what was written in the letter.''

''The blank paper?''

''Yep,'' he said ''Mr. Holly read it to me. John-Boy had written down all of our names in Braille… just like he had done before.''

''Our son, he's just like his father. Stubborn, but strong and wise,'' Olivia said lovingly.

''He took a bit of his mother with him as well,'' he said. ''Good night, honey.''

''Good night, John.'' The couple shared a kiss, then turned out the light, letting sleep wash over them.

_/_

It was late evening at the Virginia Institute, and once again, John-Boy found himself sitting on his bed as he practiced some more reading. Suddenly, a loud CRACK distracted him, for apparently, his new roommate, Lucas, was having some sort of problem.

''Damn it!'' he yelled.

''Lucas, are you alright?'' John-Boy asked.

''Leave me alone, Walton,'' the other blind man snapped, feeling his way back to his own bed.

''You want me to help you with something? Want me to call the supervisor?'' John-Boy asked, face pointed to where the other man's voice came from.

''Heh, don't be stupid, Walton. How can one blind person help another!''

''Look, I'm only trying to be helpful," John-Boy said irritated. "We're in the same boat, okay? And I know how you're feeling.''

''Well, since we're in the same boat, do you get the feeling that we should be dead instead of crippled?'' Lucas asked.

John-Boy lowered his head in understanding.

''Yeah, I did at first. Every day it seemed I grew closer and closer to doing something terrible, but I got through it eventually. It was the prospect of coming to this school that finally got me out of my slump. And as long as we have our families to support us, they'll give us strength to carry on and I think we could survive anything now.''

''Don't be stupid!" Lucas snapped again. "Families don't help with anything. They can't. Otherwise, why would they throw us here? Your family and my family, they are all just pathetic as you and I.''

''Lucas….'' John-Boy growled between his teeth. ''You can say whatever you want about me, but I would encourage you to keep your comments and opinions about my family to yourself!''

''Go to sleep, Walton, and leave me alone,'' Lucas sighed, turning over in bed and going to sleep.

The next day, John-Boy awoke early, and like the other students, he went to breakfast, then to a woodcraft class. It was then that he and his classmates heard a loud CRASH and a scream coming from the dormitories. That night, John-Boy slept in another room, and he never heard from Lucas again.


	7. Chapter 7

**Thhank you all very much for having read and review my story! i´m really glad you liked and i´m glad for your help.**

**Stay tune for the next story**

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**CHAPTER 7 - A SECOND CHANCE**

Days had come and gone up upon Walton's Mountain and before everyone's eyes, a new year arrived; a new spring brought new flowers, summer bringing heat and fresh ice cream, soon being replaced with fall and fresh bread being baked daily and orange and red leaves falling to the ground.

_/_

In the Walton's household, things were busy, as family and their friends were running around the kitchen and dining room preparing for the main Thanksgiving dinner. This year's turkey was killed by Ben and was already cooking in the oven preparing to get perfectly cooked. Jason was fussing around prepapring for the fireworks that they were planning on shooting off later that night. John had gone into town to pick up John-Boy from school. The girls were busy in the kitchen cooking the turkey, preparing for the mashpotatoes and wrapping a very special present.

Time slowly ticked on and everyone was getting impatient while they waited for John and John-Boy to get home, which they knew would be in any minute.

"I can't wait to see the look on his face when he finds out what we got him." Jim-Bob said with excitment, as hhe helped his mother and grandma

"I just hope your father and brother will get here soon. Dinner's almost ready." Mother said glancing at the clock.

"I can't believe that last year we were all moping around," Grandmother said placing the gift on nthe living room couch. ''And now we're here, preparing some kind of a party!''

"I agree, Grandma." Oliva said smiling at the gift that now waited to be opened. "Thank God everything is going well now."

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As the hours slowly ticked away and guests started to arrive bringing rolls, vegetable trays and desserts. Olivia paced back and forth wondering what was taking fathher and son to arrive, still, she realized that the father and son were probably enjoying the time alone together, so she decided not to worry so much

A timer rang off in the kitchen and Oliva walked in to pull out the turkey and placed it on the serving dish waiting for John to cut into it. As if they smelt the food, father and son arrived home and John helped his son place his coat and hat on the hook next to the door.

''Everyone, look who's here!'' John announced and in a matter of seconds, the six siblings rush to their father and oldest brother.

''Welcome home, John-Boy!'' Jim-Bob and Elizabeth said, hugging him tightly.

''It's good to be home, everyone!'' he said happily and slowly, one by one he reached for each member of his family, feeling for each ones features. ''I missed you guys so much!''

''Daddy, can we give him his gift now?'' asked Erin all of a sudden.

''Well…'' John began, not knowing what to say for sure.

''Gift?'' John-Boy asked confused ''What are you talking about?''

''Well, come on, let's sit down here, son,'' Grandpa said, grabbing John-Boy's arm and leading him towards the couch.

''Mary Ellen, Jason, would you go get the gift?'' Grandpa asked as John-Boy sat down.

''Sure, Grandpa!'' the old siblings agreed, rushing upstairs.

''What's going on, everyone?'' the older boy asked excitedly.

''While you were away, your brothers and sisters worked for some money together so that they could buy you something special,'' John explained.

''Maybe this way you can continue to write,'' Olivia said as Jason came back and placed a box on his brother's lap.

With curiosity, John-Boy started to run his fingers across the box feeling for it, opening it, and touched the object inside.

''It – It feels like a typewriter,'' he said, still feeling around with his hands.

''It's a Braille typewriter, son'' John said.

''A Braille typewriter?'' he gasped. ''A Braille typewriter?'' he repeated.

''You aren't sad again, are you, John-Boy?'' Elizabeth seemed disappointed.

''No, I… Guys, I'm thrilled!'' he exclaimed ''I really… I really don't know what to say…'' He continued to run his hands over the machine, exploring every inch of it.

''How about a thank you?'' suggested Mary Ellen and the young ones laughed.

''Well… thank you everyone!'' John-Boy exclaimed and he reached his arms out, searching for his siblings who hugged him tightly. ''Thank you so very much. How did you manage it?''

''Maybe we can tell you while we eat,'' Jason told him with a laugh. Olivia went to hold her son's arm, leading him toward the table and set him down at his original seat.

''Great idea!'' John said as everyone followed.

"Dinner smells delicious Mama!'' the older brother said as he missed it a lot

''Pa, you want to say the grace?'' he asked as everyone held each other's hands.

''We thank you, Lord, for food and friends, and for all of the joy this holiday lends. And thank you Lord, for bringing our eldest boy back to us, safe and sound and for giving him and all of us second chance. Amen!''

''AMEN,'' everyone echoed, and then Elizabeth insisted in telling her brother where all of his different foods were, wanting to show off what all she learned in the time he was away.

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The rest of the day was spend with laughter, fun, and a lot of stories to tell. John-Boy wrote a bit with his new special typewriter, and the family again joined together to listen to the radio like it had been before a couple of years ago, laughing at the jokes someone was telling.

When everyone then left to sleep, small voices could be heard within the quietness of the house.

"John-Boy are you awake?"

"Yes I am, Jim-Bob." John-Boy moved his head toward his door as he heard soft footsteps coming towards him and something heavy climbing on his bed.

"Tomorrow, if you're not busy..." Jim-Bob took in a breath to calm his nerves. "Could you teach me to read with my hands like you?"

"But you don't need to read with your hands." John-Boy said propping himself by his elbow.

"I know, but I saw you reading and thought it would be quite fun."

John-Boy let out a string of quiet laughs as he shook his head. "Go to sleep Jim-Bob. We'll see in the morning."

"Okay. Goodnight."

**THE END**


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